Here are 10 guidelines to follow when writing copy that bring immediate results.
1) The first sentence must grab the reader's attention just like the headlines in a newspaper ad. If you don't get them to read at the start, you've lost them! For example: “Isn't it time you did something about your body?” or “Do you want more money?”
2) Hit them with benefits. They don't care about computers, exercise equipment, a bank, etc. All they care about is “What's in it for me?” Describe the product and they turn the page. Tell them how it will help them and they read every word.
Examples:
•wrong: “This car has power steering and air conditioning as standard equipment.”
•correct: “This car gets 40 miles to the gallon, saves you money on gas, and has room enough for everyone.”
•wrong: “The Nautilus cam gear has positive and negative resistance.”
•correct: “Exercise on Nautilus and you'll firm up, lose inches, and look and feel great!”
3) Take out non-meaningful words and fill with information that addresses the customer's needs.
Example:
“If you are reading this ad and you want new furniture,...”
The phrase “If you are reading this ad” is unnecessary and takes time away from your copy which should be used for selling.
4) Send them to White Pages instead of Yellow Pages. Clients with multiple locations will not get as good a response if the ad says, “See our locations in the Yellow Pages.” This sends the reader to the competition's advertising.
5) Offer a bargain and put a time limit on it. People need a reason to act quickly or they will procrastinate. The client wants faster results and the customer wants a bargain. Both are accomplished by putting a few popular items on sale. Often the customers won't even buy the sale items but are drawn in by them and buy other products at full price. You must have a time limit or mention limited supply in order to create a sense of urgency.
6) Mention more than one item. Every time you add a new item to an ad, you increase your chances of finding more customers. This is just common sense. If a furniture store talks about sofas, they reach people who want sofas. However, if they mention sofas, dining room sets, and mattresses, they now reach shoppers for three different items.
7) Print the phone number large or mention it three times. Make sure people can find it in a print ad. People usually don't have a pencil and paper with them when the first appears on radio or TV. So mention it at the beginning so they have time to get something to write with before you mention it again.
8) Use the word “you” often. When I wrote ads for the health club, I noticed some ads received no calls and others received over 100 in a day. After six months, I put all the ads into two stacks: those that got a great response and those that got a poor one. The main difference that jumped out was that the ads that got the great response had the word “you” in them several times. People notice an ad with the word “you” because it directs the ad to them.
9) Use the word “because”. Customers react better when they know why something is marked down for a sale or why there is a limited supply. They don't want to think that the patio furniture is on sale because it is ugly or defective. They prefer to see that it is reduced because it is over-stocked or that the store needs room for new inventory.
10) Use hot words such as “money”, “gain”, “improved”, “loss”, “love”. These words are proven to produce a better response. The reason so many products come out with “new, improved” versions is that this advertising technique works.
Author Information
Pam Lontos
Pam Lontos, CSP, MA, is one of the country's top sales trainers and motivators. She is President of Lontos Sales & Motivation, Inc. Her seminars, keynotes, and consulting are customized to your company or association.
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